Cyprus’ tourism downturn is expected to ease further before the end of the year, with arrivals now forecast to finish around 5 per cent below 2025 levels, according to Tourism Deputy Minister Kostas Koumis.
The latest data from the statistical service, Cystat, show that tourist arrivals reached 2,820,649 between January and August, a 7 per cent decline compared with the same period last year. That marks an improvement from the 8 per cent drop recorded through the first seven months.
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Strong Start, Sudden Disruption
Speaking at the inauguration of new cycling routes in Troulloi, Aradippou, Koumis said the year began on a notably strong note, with January and February each posting record results for their respective months.
“We had the best January and the best February we have ever had,” he said, before pointing to the sharp reversal in March, when instability in the Middle East disrupted air travel to and from Cyprus.
According to Koumis, about 70 per cent of flight programmes serving Cyprus were cancelled indefinitely overnight, forcing the government and the Tourism Deputy Ministry to respond to what he described as one of the most serious crises the sector has faced in decades.
Protecting Air Connectivity
March and April were particularly difficult, he said, as uncertainty over flight availability weighed heavily on visitor numbers and left the sector facing a far weaker spring than expected.
In response, much of the government’s effort shifted toward preserving air connectivity. Authorities worked to persuade airlines to maintain their Cyprus schedules while also engaging tour operators and organisers focused on niche tourism to keep the island in their programmes.
Several months later, Koumis said that strategy had delivered results. “Looking back, we can say that we succeeded,” he said.
The Numbers Show A Gradual Recovery
The improvement is visible in the data. During the first four months of the year, the industry was tracking a decline of around 18 per cent. By the end of July, that gap had narrowed to 8 per cent, and the latest August figures reduced the eight-month drop further to 7 per cent.
August alone recorded 581,880 tourist arrivals, down 3.3 per cent from 602,026 a year earlier, though still 4.9 per cent higher than August 2024.
Koumis said he expects the shortfall to narrow again over the remaining months of the year, adding that “by the end of the year we will be talking about a decline of around 5 per cent”.
He noted that a contraction of that scale can occur in any sector without necessarily signalling a deeper structural issue.
Industry Support Remains Central
Koumis also thanked tourism bodies for their support during the disruption, saying the government and the private sector would continue working together to improve the year-end outcome.
